Hundreds turn out for unauthorised pro-Palestine rally in Zurich
Around 500 people gathered for the event on Friday evening. Police said they questioned some 25 demonstrators, but that the event went off peacefully.
The crowd marched through Zurich’s central District 4, chanting “Free Palestine”, accompanied by a large contingent of police.
The event was called by the “Palestine Committee Zurich”. Authorities initially asked the 500 participants to disperse, before eventually allowing them to march, a decision based on considerations of “proportionality”, the Keystone-SDA news agency reported on Saturday.
+ Our coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian war
The unauthorised procession, which lasted about an hour, remained peaceful according to initial reports, without damage to property or altercations.
Rally bans
The city of Zurich – like several other cities in German-speaking Switzerland – had earlier this week banned all rallies in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian war.
In western (French-speaking) Switzerland, on the other hand, pro-Palestinian rallies are taking place almost daily. About 4,500 people gathered in Lausanne on Thursday evening; around 200 gathered at the United Nations in Geneva on Friday. There were also rallies in support of Israel.
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